Braving the cold, the varsity girls soccer team steps onto the playing field, ready to take on another season of challenges and growth. Since they won the state championship last year, head girls soccer coach Winston Pool has been reminding them that they are building their own legacy now and they have learned about the sacrifices and hard work it takes to achieve victory. Practicing every day at 6 a.m., the girls grind through the weather, building strength and perseverance for a great season ahead.

This preseason, the team has played some of the best teams in the state, according to Pool, finishing the preseason with five wins, one loss, and two ties. Pool said that he is trying to instill discipline and never being satisfied in each player every day.

“The sisterhood and culture of this team is similar to last year’s team,” Pool said. “They continue to display that at every practice.”

The team’s biggest focus in practice has been passing, shooting, and working together, while their training typically consists of warming up and then fundamentals such as ladders and ball touches. Afterward, they break up into offense and defense and work on shooting and passing as a whole to get better movement together.

“Knowing we’re a target, our preseason had high-intensity morning workouts to raise fitness early,” junior captain and goalie Jemma Hart said. “As the season starts, we balance intensity with recovery sessions, so our bodies can repair and stay fresh for our games.”

The team has been developing depth so that, in the event of injuries arising, the next player can step in and keep the expectations and standards they started with. According to sophomore defender Peyton Korndorffer, dependability is a key component of being a team player.

“Our past games motivate me to try harder because if the team doesn’t do well in a practice or game, I know we can do better,” Korndorffer said. “The team is capable of getting back in motion.”

Hart said that the district’s collaboration has helped the team build friendships with rival teams, enhancing their motivation never to settle when playing a team with friends on it.

“Every opponent now wants to beat the Cedar Park girls soccer team,” Hart said. “That pressure fuels our desire to improve and show we belong on top.”

The team now has a goal that no previous Timberwolf team has had before: to win back-to-back titles. Since becoming the first state champions in the program, it has added an extra layer of responsibility for them to carry as the season progresses.

“Carrying the legacy of last year means pushing even when it gets hard,” Korndorffer said. “Building as a team will help get us to state championships again.”